Process of manufacturing foot-coverings



(No Model.) V f S. G. ALEXANDER.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING FOOT GOVERINGS.

- 110.268.8423. A PatentedDQcJIZ,1882..

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUELG. ALEXANDER, OF GARO, MICHIGAN;

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING FOOT-COVERINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,848, dated December 12, 1882. Application filed July 27, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, SAMUEL GEORGE-ALEX- ANDER, of Caro, in the county of Tuscola and State of Michigan, have invented new and uset'ul Improvements in Processes ot'llianuiactnring Foot-Coverings; and 1 do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification.

The nature of this invention relates to certain new and usefulimprovementsin the manufacture of foot-coverings from felt,carded wool, cotton or wool bats, shoddy, or other materials of a similar character, by means of which an improved article of the class generally known in the market as feltfoot-coveringsis made.

The invention'consists in the peculiar man ner of manufacturing, as more fully hereinafter described.

Figure 1 is a plan of the covering which is employed to envelop the material after the same. has been placed around the inner former; Figs. 2 and 3 are plan views of theinner fortners, around which the material is placed before being inclosed in the covering. The dotted lines show the point where the material is put on much thicker than the main body, for purposes hereinafter explained. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a finished boot bymy improved method of manufacture.

The formers A are covered, by any of the known processes, with the fibrous'material employerhand upon one side of such formers, as at a, the material is placed orlaid nearly twice as thick as on the balance of the former, so that as a drawing pressure is applied to that part, in the further carrying on of the manufacture, this part will present aboutthe same thickness as the other portions of the article when finished. The formers are flat and thin,

and may be-made of sheet metal or any other desired substance, and rounded at the point to give proper shape to the toe of the completed boot. After the former hasbeen thus covered the mass is enveloped in the cover B, which is formed of two pieces of cloth of the same shape and dimensions, each being rectangular, and provided with a point, D, and. these two pieces are laid coincidently, one upon the other, and

the points stitched together, as can be seen in thedrawings,Fig. 1. Then one of thesepieces is folded back, as shown in dotted lines, leaving the points which are sewed together to form a sack or bag, 0, into which the pointed end of the mass on the former is inserted, and in which it is held in position while the piece 61 is lapped over the mass at both edges, when the other part, c, is laid back into its original position, when the whole is turned bottom side up, and the edgesof this latter-named piece is lapped over the mass at both edges, so that the mass is thoroughly inclosed by the cover,

lapped on both sides, and felted in the usual manner, after which the envelope is removed. Theformer is now withdrawn, and the mass is now subjected to the fulling-machine, and in the course ot'its manipulation therein the mass is drawn and bent at the thickened portion into the shape of the foot f, as shown in Fig. 4, and by this means a nearly uniiorm thickness of the whole boot is preserved. After being fulled and drawn into shape the mass is drawn onto a form or tree of proper shape and dried, when it will retain the shape ofthe tree.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described covers for the formers for felted boots or shoes, consisting of the rectangular pieces of fabric, each formed with the joint or extension I), said extended portions being secured together to form a sack or pocket at one side, said pocket being adapted to receive and hold the end of the former while the two portions of the cover are being folded into position for use, substantially as described. SAMUEL GEORGE ALEXANDER.

Witnesses E. SoULLY, CHARLES J. HUNT. 

